Last Saturday, the Louisville Cardinals dismantled the Miami Hurricanes, 31-7. That sentence alone should define the level of competition Kansas State is about to face as the eighth-ranked Cardinals come to Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Coach Bobby Petrino's Cardinals are high-powered on offense, nasty on defense and well coached overall. Louisville not only knocked off Miami, but the Cardinals have officially stolen Miami's mojo.

Louisville, one could argue, is the new Miami. The Cardinals play with swagger and Petrino doesn't just aim to win, he wants to pillage. Louisville's coach shows no mercy to foes and will score 50-plus if given the chance.

Yes, the degree of difficulty certainly gets ratcheted up when the Cats and Cards kick off at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning for a nationally televised game on Fox Sports Net.